[NI0002]
Otto was born in the Dakota Territory, grew up in Missouri, then migrated
to California is 1905. He met his wife Lillie while working in a
cannery. They moved to Fresno on February 10, 1928. Eventually lived at
254 N. Thesta, a home which was still standing in 1997.
Residence history of Otto & Lilly Shaffer:
Married in Visalia in 1907, apparently lived there then.
In Visalia in 1909, 1910, 1912, and 1914 when Vera, Kyle, Ethyl, and
Eugene were born.
In Visalia 6/14/1912, when postcard addressed to him from "Ed," mailed
from Camp Curry, Yosemite.
Lived on "Nellies Ranch", between Visalia and Ivanhoe, Tulare County, for
a time.
Lived in Corcoran for 1 year, there in 1919 when Edith was born.
In Dinuba (apparently) for a time also. Postcard from Otto to Kyle, date
unclear, addressed to
"Kyle Shaffer/Dinuba Cal/R#3 Box 66a"
Lived in Porterville in 1921 when Joy was born. Rented a home in town
for a couple of years
then bought property. Otto and his father, Alexander Robert, built
Otto's home on
the new property. The family lived in that home until moving to
Fresno in February
of 1928, buying their home at 254 N. Thesta in Fresno.
254 N. Thesta, Fresno, from 2/1928 until their respective deaths in 1958
and 1974.
ETHAN ; ppl ; Davison Co SD; 43ø32'52"N 097ø59'16"W
Obituary, Fresno Bee, October 6 or 7, 1958:
Otto Shaffer, 73, died today in his home at 254 Thesta Street.
He was a retired machinist and had lived in Fresno since 1928. He
worked for 15 years for the Peerless Pump Company.
Shaffer was born in South Dakota when it was still a territory and
came to the San Joaquin Valley in 1905. He lived in Visalia, Corcoran
and Porterville before moving to Fresno.
He and his wife, Lillie, were married in Visalia and would have
observed their 51st wedding anniversary October 16th.
Shaffer was a member of the Baptist Church in Visalia. In addition
to his widow, he is survived by four daughters, Mrs. W. T. Lindgren and
Mrs. B. B. Selby of Sacramento, Mrs. L.A. Carter of Beaverton, Ore., and
Mrs. G. G. Oswald of Fresno; two sons, E. A. of Bakersfield and Kyle of
Fresno; two brothers, Ory of Vista, San Diego County, and Guy of Santa
Maria; Five sisters, Mrs. Virgie Sergeant of Lebo, Kan., Mrs. Martie
Brown of Oregon City, Ore., Mrs. Lola Horn of Bonanza, Ore., Mrs. Eva
Piper of Santa Ana and Mrs. Mae Stewart of Baldwin Park, Los Angeles
County, 16 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be arranged by Stephens & Bean.
Lilly and Otto met in a cannery in Visalia after both of their families
moved to California from Missouri. Otto was in a church choir in Visalia
but refused to go to church anymore after he and Lilly moved to
Corcoran. (Source: Vera Lindgren conversation with Steve Shaffer,
1/2/95.)
The Otto Shaffer family moved from Porterville to Fresno in 1928.
(Source: Ethel Shaffer Carter conversation with Steve Shaffer, 2/95.)
Otto and Lilly celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at a party
hosted by their children at a party held in Fresno on October 20, 1957.
[NI0007] Margaret Kotowski became Sister Mary Diane. She died in 1993.
[NI0008]
Margaret (Loftus) Foraker told Doug Shaffer a strange story when Doug was
about 16 or 17 (1958 or '59?) about a man named Frank, and Doug believes
this must have been Frank Kotowski.
The story goes that Frank went to the store one day and simply never came
home, leaving his kids (and their mother?) to fend for themselves. What
is odd however is what prompted the story. Doug was living with Grandma
Foraker on Mariposa Avenue in Fresno at the time and a strange man called
Frank simply showed up on their doorstep one day. He introduced himself,
spoke to them briefly, and said he was going out to the store for some
cigarettes or something. He left and never returned. At the time of the
visit, he was about of Doug's parent's age which would make him about the
age of Frank Kotowski and Doug believes that's who the strange visitor
was.
[NI0009]
Agnes apparently lived for a time in Swink Colorado. She died of a
tubular pregnancy in about 1929 (when Mildred Foraker was about 17).
"Grandma Loftus" is said to have lived with her there before coming to
California in about 1926 or 1927.
We have a Christmas card to Mildred from "Agnes & Tom," dated Dec. 25,
1927. Mildred also received a letter from Mrs. T. H. Gephart, 1313 San
Juan Ave., LaJunta, Colo., dated July 23, 1928.
[NI0010]
Florence died at the age of 22 or 23 when her daughter Margaret was about
4 and son Frank Jr. was about 2. The children then lived with one of
their other grandmothers.
Florence is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 12801 W. 44th Street,
Wheatridge (Denver) Colorado, in Section 10, Block 6, Lot 19, Grave
SGNW1/4 4.
[NI0011] Clara apparently died at about age 9 of lead poisoning.
[NI0012] Died in childbirth, or possibly from a tubal pregnancy, and buried in Utica NY.
[NI0013]
George Huck was thought to have the Foraker family bible but Lois
contacted him and he said he didn't and didn't know where we might have
gotten that idea..
[NI0014]
Clarence is said to have worked in a licorice factory (in Illinois?) and
to have invented things, including a machine used in his factory. He
died when his son George was about 7 years old.
[NI0015]
Delia married Clarence Huck in Illinois and had a son, George. After
Clarence's death, Delia and George moved to LA where she worked as a
housekeeper. Delia died in Fullerton but was brought to Fresno and
buried at Holy Cross Cemetery where she had other family members buried.
According to George (letter to Lois (Shaffer) Parker, n.d.), the Foraker
family moved from Ohio to Denver in about 1887, he says when his mother
was six.
Delia's death certificate indicates that she resided in California for 44
years prior to her death in 1972, implying a move to CA in 1928.
[NI0016]
Margaret was married in 1898 or 1899 when she was 15 or 16. Her husband,
Martin, moved to Denver sometime around 1887-1889 when he was 10 or 12
years old and lived eventually in Margaret's mother's boarding house,
where he met Margaret.
(See notes under Martin for information about their Denver home.)
Margaret attended public schools in Denver through the eighth grade.
OSCEOLA ; ppl ; Lewis ; 43ø30'00"N 075ø43'21"W
Margaret lived at Nazareth House for the last several years of her life.
Prior to that she lived at:
304 N. Roosevelt:
on Mariposa Avenue:
on E. Lewis Avenue:
at 160 N. Thesta: on 9/30/36 (per Mary Loftus' Death Certificate);
3/8/1944 (per Martin Foraker's Death Certificate)
[NI0017]
Martin married Margaret in 1899 when she was 16. He had moved to Denver
sometime around 1887-1889 when he was 10 or 12 years old and lived
eventually in Margaret's mother's boarding house (3046 Market Street,
Denver), where he met Margaret. It is said that he worked horses before
going to work in the foundries of Denver. They had a large, 4 bedroom
house with a bathroom and parlor at 601 East Bayaud Street, corner of
Pearl Street, in Denver. They moved from this address to California in
1922.
Doug Shaffer, his wife Rosemary, and his mother Mildred (Martin and
Margaret's daughter) visited the Denver home in 1978 where the
then-current residents told them they had just disposed of a trunk kept
in the basement for the people that left in the early part of the
century. Seems they said they would call for the trunk but never did.
The home had changed hands one or more times in the intervening years,
but the trunk remained through the different owners. The home-owners
kept it for 58 years but finally, just months before the surprise visit,
disposed of it. They described the contents and Mildred recognized many
of the items as her mother's dishes, etc. At the time of the visit, the
home had been divided into several apartments.
Martin is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno.
Martin's Death Certificate gives his length of stay in Fresno as 22 years
at the time of his death in 1944, confirming that the family came to
California in about 1922.
Martin's Death Certificate gives other information which is in conflict
with our current (as-of 1/97) best records: His mother's maiden name is
given as "Mary Loftas," birthplace "Penn." by the informant, "Gen. Hosp,
Fresno." Martin's wife, Margaret's, mother is thought to have been Mary
E. Colclough, married Riley then Loftus, and known in the family as
"Grandma Loftus." Also, Martin's birthplace is given as "Jamestown,
Ohio" where we believe it to be Youngstown. However, we have no
confirmation of his birthplace so perhaps Jamestown is right.
[NI0018]
C. L. McLane High School, Fresno, CA, June, 1969.
Notes from Diane's correspondence, to help date photographs, their visits
to California, etc.:
Jan 27, 1974 (Mom to Diane): "... (the marriage date) is only six weeks
away...." "I certainly missed you both for a while after you went
back...."
May 4, 1974: "... have been married less than two months and ...."
"...still planning to come home next Christmas...."
May 17, 1974: She refers to how much they enjoyed their visit to CA and
hope to come home for Christmas.
July 24, 1974: "... may not be able to come home for Christmas this
year...."
December 17, 1974: "Hope this reaches you before we do...."
August 9, 1975 (Mom to Diane): "How are all my new friends in Talladega?
Be sure to tell them hello for me and tell them how much I enjoyed being
with them."
[NI0019]
7lb 10 oz at birth
San Joaquin Memorial High School, June 1959.
B.A., CSUF (Business Administration Computer Applications and Systems)
May, 1986.
[NI0020]
Clovis Adult School, June, 1973.
[NI0021]
Fresno High School, Fresno California, June, 1953.
[NI0022]
Mildred's parents bought their house in Denver when she was about 5, or
in about 1917, on Bayaud Street. Apparently they only stayed there for
four or five years, as they came to California when she was about 9.
Mildred came to California from Denver when she was about 9, driven by
her brother Eddie in their 1919 Chandler Touring Car. They went
initially to Oildale, then came on to Fresno.
Mildred celebrated her retirement from Fresno Memorial Gardens at a
dinner on 2/28/1978 at the "Big Yellow House" Restaurant, 1440 E. Shaw
Avenue, Fresno..
[NI0023]
Military Service:
WWII US Navy, inducted 12/27/43, discharged honorably 10/15/45.
Korean Conflict, no dates known.
Vera (Shaffer) Lindgren is said to have an interesting picture of Kyle
and a pet goat! Someone gave a goat and she has a picture of the animal
in the driver's "seat" of a stripped-down Model T, with Kyle. The goad
is standing on the gas tank which would normally be under the front seat,
except that there is no front seat, and has his "hands" on the wheel,
ready to go! Gotta get that picture! (Source: Vera Lindgren story to
the family in the wake following LaVerne Carter's funeral, 2/95,
Gleneden, Oregon.)
[NI0031]
C. L. McLane High School, Fresno, June 1970.
B.S. Criminalistics, U. C. Berkeley, March, 1975.
[NI0032]
1939 Visalia City Directory:
Ikerd, Isaac N (Nancy J) h317 NE 2d av.
1944 Visalia City Directory:
Ikerd Nancy J Mrs h317 NE 2d av.
[NI0033]
1939 Porterville City Directory:
Letterman, Marion P. (Mary), utility man, SCE Co., h514 E. Orange.
1944 Porterville City Directory:
Letterman Marion P (Mary) h514 E Orange.
[NI0035]
Emmaliza is buried with her husband in the Visalia Cemetery, Visalia
California.
Lillie Paralee Shaffer's death certificate gives Tennessee as the
birthplace of Emmaliza Todd, not Missouri as we have recorded elsewhere.
Emmaliza was born in Missouri, according to John Coke Letterman's bible.
Her mother, Sarena Anderson, was born in Tennessee, these according to
Edith Selby (conversation w/ SAS 8/25/96).
[NI0036]
John came west in 1905 and settled in Visalia. He lived next door to his
brother Israel ("Tude") Letterman until their deaths.
John is buried with Emmaliza in the Visalia Cemetery.
1939 Visalia City Directory:
Letterman John C (Eliza) h240 Levis.
Lillie Paralee Shaffer's death certificate gives Pennsylvania as the
birthplace of John Coke Letterman, not Missouri as we have recorded
elsewhere.
[NI0037]
Alameda died at age 33 and is buried at the McCrary Cemetery, Daviess
County, between Hamilton and Galliton, Missouri. She died the same year
as giving birth to her last child, William. He died less than a month
after she did.